Tears in the Rain
by Lizzieanne
Summary: A futuristic AU set in Los Angeles 2159. Dangerous androids have escaped to Earth, Sam's missing, Dean has the mother of all hangovers and it's raining...can it get any worse?   All 5 chapters now posted.
1. Chapter 1

This fic was written for the Live Journal **spn_cinema** Challenge, based on the sci-fi movie _Blade Runner _by my alter ego quirky_thoughts, but you don't need to have seen the movie to understand what it's about._  
><em>

It's a favourite movie of mine and I see so much of Dean in the main character Rick Deckard...and like the movie, it's from his POV. I'm pretty much a Sam girl most of the time but I've enjoyed seeing the world through Dean's eyes for a change.

**Rating:** T for Adult language and a smattering of Dean whump and angst, with a bit in there for Sam as well.

**Spoilers**: None.

**Warnings:** Mention of Dean/Lisa and Sam/Jessica. Castiel and Meg also make an appearance. There are character deaths in chapters three and four, but neither of the boys.

**Word Count:** Total word count c12,200 in five chapters.

**Summary: **A futuristic AU set in Los Angeles 2159. Dangerous androids have escaped to Earth, Sam's missing, Dean has the mother of all hangovers...again, and it's raining. Can it get any worse?

**A/N:** It's been completed and I'll post a new chapter every few days.

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><p><strong>Tears in the Rain<strong>

**Prologue**

Early in the 22nd century, after wars and global warming had ravaged the Earth, humans looked to other planets for their salvation. One of the most powerful Corporations, owned by genius Dr Eldon Tyrell, advanced robot evolution into the Nexus phase, and beings virtually identical to humans, known as replicants, were used off-world as slave labor in the hazardous exploration and colonization process.

Many years later Nexus Six replicants were developed. These were superior in strength and agility and at least equal in intelligence to the genetic engineers who created them but over time some began to show signs of human emotions and, after a bloody mutiny in an off-world colony, were declared illegal on Earth.

Special police squads, Blade Runner Units, had orders to shoot to kill any trespassing replicant. This was not called execution. It was called retirement.

~~o~~

**Chapter one **

**Downtown Los Angeles 2159**

_Where the hell are you, Sam? _

I woke with that unsettling thought every morning, and with it a gnawing pain in my gut. Today was no exception.

I dragged myself out of bed, hoping today would be the day I'd get news about that idiot brother of mine, and pulled the curtains across and peered out over the city skyline. I wasn't expecting the daylight to stream in and it didn't, just the same annoying flashing neon lights that accompanied the constant stream of moronic crap from a passing advertising blimp. It was impossible to block out but somehow I'd learnt to let it wash over me to keep my sanity.

_A new life awaits you in the off-world colonies, the_

_chance to begin again in a golden land of opportunity and adventure._

_New climate, recreation facilities..._

Yeah, I'd like to travel to a new golden land of opportunity and adventure, where the air was clean, the sun shone and the rain didn't burn your skin. And no, I didn't have those kind of numbers in my bank account to do it, and probably never would.

So for the time being, like so many other little people in this crumbling world, I was stuck here to cope the best I could.

Industrial chimneys burned day and night since the Corporations had merged and taken control and, with hardly a shred of regulation remaining, most of the planet was now in a downward spiral. On a bad day there wasn't much chance of getting even a sliver of sunlight breaking through the smog, so today was another dreary day just like the last. My mood wasn't any better plus, as a shitty bonus, it was raining. Hard.

I didn't blame Sam for wanting out; out of this apartment, out of the city and off this planet. He had plans he said, ones that didn't involve hunting and killing, and washing layers of filth from your hair if you ventured outside for more than a minute. And a breath of fresh air would be, well, a breath of fresh air.

He had a point, but I wished he'd given me a bit more warning before he'd quit. It hadn't exactly come out of the blue, but our conversation which followed had gotten heated real fast.

Sam's eyes narrowed, fixing their intense gaze on mine. "I've had enough, Dean. If I'd told you what I was about to do you'd have tried to persuade me to stay...like you have all the other times."

"Look, I know today was a bitch, I wasn't expecting it either."

"The guy begged for his life! Begged. And then we killed him...in cold blood."

"Retired him Sammy, retired him. Not quite the same."

"And what'd he done? Nothing."

"We don't know that, and you know our orders."

"There's no way to tell them apart any more, and something's changed, they now have... _feeling_s."

"That's not true," I said, trying to come up with a reasonable answer, "and they're definitely not human."

"I don't know what that means any more."

"They're created in a lab. We're not. Easy."

Sam sighed loudly.

"And anyway..." I continued before Sam could catch his breath, "...what's all that shit about them having feelings? A robot's, a robot as far as I'm concerned."

"Man! Why are you being such a dick?" Sam paced up and down the room as if trying to wear a hole in the already threadbare carpet. "Created in a lab or not...with these last few retirements, you could see the fear in their very human looking eyes just before we spilled their brains all over the side-walk. _That_ shows feelings."

There was no placating him when he was like this, so I let him carry on off-loading all the crapola that had been building up over the last few months.

"I hate it, I didn't sign on for this. It's like...like...murder..." Sam hesitated and then threw his hands up in despair as if more words would choke him. He grabbed a beer I'd opened and held out for him. He gulped the liquid down and slumped his tall frame into a chair before throwing me a soulful look.

I knew what those wide pleading eyes were asking. He wanted me to quit as well but I wasn't sure. I didn't find it so easy; being a cop was all I knew.

~~o~~

Dad had lived and breathed being a cop as long as I could remember and I'd been desperate to follow in his footsteps as soon as I was old enough. Well sooner, because with Sam's nerdy help we'd knocked 2 years of my age and I'd been able to get into the Academy well before the legal limit. I was stoked, it even made moving to the rougher part of the city not quite the hell I'd always thought it would be. I begged Sam to join as soon as he was old enough.

But he had other ideas.

He earned a scholarship with the only remaining College that hadn't sold it's soul to Satan, aka the faceless Corporations, and soon my little brother was on his way to becoming a hot shot lawyer.

Then Mom and Dad were gunned down.

~~o~~

It was one of those rare times Dad had taken a week off from the job to spend it with Mom. It was their anniversary and he'd spent a small fortune on tickets to an off-world haven; all sun, sea and sand. A romantic second honeymoon, he'd said. Too much information Dad, I'd replied. He laughed a laugh I hardly ever got to see and Mom was so excited.

By all accounts they'd had a great time, but like all the off-world havens, the Corporations did what they always did and shared facilities, mostly with the military. They did it for two reasons; to pool resources and for protection but that didn't help in this case. The new generation Nexus Six replicants rebelled, broke away from their unit, stormed the hotel and took everyone hostage. Their demands for their freedom and a shuttle off the planet fell on deaf ears, and the Authorities hit back hard with all that _we don't negotiate with terrorists _crap. It was bloody, it was a complete massacre, and no one in the place survived.

So from that moment all replicants were under suspicion and the Blade Runners were formed, a specialist unit to track and kill any that stepped foot on Earth.

I signed up immediately. Didn't even have to say anything to Sam as he joined the Department the very next week and fast tracked to my unit and we'd worked together ever since. Until three months ago.

~~o~~

Sam's eyes continued to plead and I was getting desperate, so I did what any self respecting cop did when his back was against the wall. I fought dirty.

"What would Dad say if he was alive...and Mom?"

"Don't...even...go...there."

"They would have been so proud of you, man."

"I'm not changing my mind..."

"No...I wasn't expecting you to...always thinking of yourself."

"What? No I don't. Shut the fuck up!"

"Why? Don't like hearing the truth?"

And at that point I wish I had shut the fuck up as Sam shot me a devastated look I hadn't seen since Mom and Dad died. "Is it too much to ask to want a better life? To hate what we've become...killing without question."

"So I'm a cold hearted killer now am I?" I asked more as a question to myself and one I didn't want to answer.

"You know that's not what I meant..." Sam huffed and began throwing his clothes into a holdall.

He eventually broke the silence as he zipped up the bag.

"I'll be in touch," he said, his voice now flat, exhausted of all emotion.

And with that, he was out of the door, casting a quick glance back to see me take a swig from a bottle of whiskey before the door closed.

A few hours later the bottle was empty.

~~o~~

It felt like a lifetime ago but it was three months and two days ago to be precise. Not that I was counting.

Usually any arguments we had were over in a couple of days because we either ignored them, or occasionally threw a few punches. Anything would have been better than this.

I carried on working, but two weeks and a couple more bloody retirements and nightmares later, I'd had enough. So I quit too. Now I was brother-less, jobless and had a continuous mother of all hangovers into the bargain.

My stomach didn't seem to care my head was throbbing and my eyes could hardly focus, and it gave its usual complaint that breakfast was needed. I didn't check the fridge as it was empty the last time I looked and unless the food fairy had made a delivery in the night, it was breakfast at Tiffany's as usual; the only place in the city with a great view.

First I needed a shower and was grateful the antiquated water system still worked even if I did have to thwack it with a wrench every morning. I stood and let hot steamy water wash away the previous night's bender, until I felt semi-human.

Yeah semi-human...that would be funny if it wasn't so depressing. Me the ex-cop, ex Blade Runner and ex-killer. At least I had some clean clothes in the laundry basket. There was nothing worse than starting the day in yesterday's underwear.

It didn't take long to get dressed and put on my favourite boots, and I was on my way with thoughts of hot strong coffee spurring me on.

I paused with one hand on the door pad and instinctively glanced back to check the room, still half expecting to see my brother getting ready to follow me, but there was his neatly made bed in the corner and his empty closet to remind he wasn't. My heart sank.

The door shut automatically behind me and I picked up my stride to get out of the place as quickly as possible, the sound of my feet on stone echoing around the corridor. The apartment block was half empty these days in fact I was the only inhabitant on my level. But it had its compensations, nice and quiet after a hard days work but pretty damn creepy now I walked along them alone.

I needed to think and look for work, and for that I needed coffee.

_Damn it Sam - no messages, no calls. When I find you, I'm so going to kick your ass._

~~o~~

**tbc**_  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** Dean makes a shocking discovery about Sam.

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><p><strong>Tears in the Rain<br>**

**Chapter two  
><strong>

I hurried from the lobby onto the street. The diner was only a couple of blocks away so I dodged the rain as best I could by keeping under the building overhangs and shop canopies. The streets were already starting to fill with sellers and buyers making the going painfully slow, but a few strategic shoves and mean looks soon had a path clearing before me.

It wasn't as if I had to be anywhere in a hurry but I wasn't keen on getting my leather jacket wet. The rain was pretty acidic these days and I didn't fancy it being peppered with tiny little holes. Not only was a leather jacket pretty damn impossible to come by, this one belonged to Dad and I loved it, so maybe I'd have to start behaving like one of the locals and buy myself an umbrella.

I grabbed a newspaper from a nearby stand and tossed my last few dollars to the seller, a tall gangly kid with a mop of brown hair, who reminded me of Sam except he looked as if he could do with a good meal inside him.

"Hey Dean," he said with an accent I'd never been able to place, "have a nice day."

I nodded and forced a smile as it was far to early to be perky, and tucked the paper inside my jacket. I continued my dodging and weaving until I spotted the familiar 'Tiffany's' sign flashing over the door of the diner. It automatically opened for me as I approached, and I eyed my favorite spot, a little cluster of tables by the window. I pulled out a seat so I would have a good view of the door, just in case, preferring my old habits to die hard – and not me. I slumped into it with a sigh reserved only for the hung-over and spread the newspaper before me and tried to focus. It was time to look for some work. Maybe today I'd get a bit of luck but there didn't seem to be many ads aimed at an ex-cop, ex blade runner. A few security jobs here and there but nothing that appreciated my awesome talents.

I made eye contact with the waitress, she smiled and was soon hovering over me, iPad in hand.

"I'll have my usual and a piece of that pie sweetheart," I said nodding in the direction of the counter. She tapped down my order and then eyed me with suspicion.

"And how will you be paying sir?" she asked with her usual mock classy air.

I pulled a card from my inside pocket. She took it, turned it over and over, giving me a scathing look before reading the name printed on the front.

"Thank you Agent...Ford...that'll do nicely," she said before swiping it across her pad in one quick movement. "You know Dean...one of these days..."

"Yeah...but not today huh Lisa?" I smiled at the way her eyebrows knitted together into the cutest frown as she returned my piece of plastic.

She rolled her eyes but my own never left her pretty face until she turned to go, and then they dropped to ogle her barely covered tight ass and watched it wiggle its perfect way to the kitchen. Like I said, the place had a very nice view.

I scanned the usual pages to see what was on offer but had only gotten to Admin and Cleaning when Lisa returned.

"Here you are sir," she said, a tray balanced expertly in one outstretched hand as she passed me a plate with a sizeable piece of warm apple pie and cream and followed, more importantly, with a large cup of steaming hot strong coffee.

"Thanks...looks awesome," I smiled at the face looking down at me, " and so does this," I said as I put the cup to my lips and let the aroma waft over me and then took a sip. The best coffee in the city, made with the finest Colombian beans, which Lisa put aside especially for me. She knew what I liked.

With another gulp of the liquid nectar, I felt my head beginning to clear.

Another customer came in and Lisa's glanced over to him and then back to me. "I get off at nine tonight...so I'm all yours...if you want."

Oh, I did want. "I'll be here," I said, and barring all disasters and life threatening injuries I would be. Lisa was getting to be the high point of my life these days, not only did she squirrel away coffee beans for me that were meant for the rich Corporate morons, she had the most flexible body of any woman I'd ever met. Her hands could massage away the stiffest of limbs and body parts, and the things she did with those soft lips of hers; beautifully decadent, wet and eager...

"Hey Winchester!"

Fuck! Can't a guy be left in peace to have a bit of a porny daydream or two. I recognised that voice; like nails scratching on a blackboard. The voice of Bryant, my ex-boss who I hoped never to see again.

He glanced over at Lisa and smirked. "Thought I'd find you here."

I frowned and felt my whole body stiffen as I forced myself to look at him. Yeah, he was still the self assured ass-hole he always was.

"You're looking like crap, Dean."

"Right back atcha!"

He was still smirking as he nodded to the newspaper. "How's that going?"

"Never a dull moment," I replied - as if he cared.

"That good huh? Well if you're interested, I've something for you. A special contract."

"I quit, remember? I don't do your dirty work any more."

"Well this is a one off...and I thought you might want first dibs at it."

"First dibs? Since when did you become a boy scout?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...you've a smart mouth Dean...it'll get you into trouble one of these days."

"Nothing you can say will get me back into all that...killing. I'm done.

"Not killing...retirement. Skin jobs aren't human...and you're doing humanity a service."

"Yeah I'm a real hero. Well in case you didn't hear, I quit."

Bryant pulled out a chair and sat down opposite me.

"So...heard anything from Sam?"

That got my attention, and him saying something like that could go either way. He could be lying on the floor with a fat lip or I could ignore him and treat him like scum-bag he was. I was feeling mellow. Lisa had that effect on me, so if he was lucky it would last a few minutes.

I gave him a withering look instead, ignoring it he pulled the familiar regulation information pad from his pocket.

"I like you Dean, so let's just say I'm offering this job to you as a friend. Three Nexus Six replicants and a human collaborator have gone rogue, hi-jacked a shuttle, killing all on board and it's been discovered abandoned off the coast. Three nights ago one of them was spotted trying to break into the Tyrell Corporation headquarters in the city."

"Why would they do that?"

"No idea...and I don't really give a shit. But there's five hundred thousand dollars on the table to retire them all. So if you want it, it's yours."

"Man, that's a lot of zero's...you must be desperate. Still not interested. What about Rufus...he's your best man now isn't he?"

"Not exactly...been hooked up to life support this past week."

Damn...I really liked the guy.

He offered me the info pad. "Just take a look."

I took the thing and stared at the screen, flicking through the mug shots and profiles of the androids one by one.

_Castiel: Combat model -optimum self-sufficiency. Probably the leader._

_Meg: Trained for an off-world kick-murder squad._

_Jessica: Basic pleasure model for the military._

As the fourth and last one scrolled into view, I felt as if I'd been sucker punched and gasped for air; my throat felt dry, constricted and painful as I tried to swallow.

_Sam Winchester: Human, former Blade Runner turned terrorist._

"What...the...fuck?" I finally managed to curse because staring back at me was my pain-in-the-ass little brother.

"Sam's been taken hostage?" was the first thought that wormed it's way into my brain.

Bryant stared at me and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I'm sorry Dean...according to our intel Sam's not a hostage...looks like he's one of them and joined their band of merry killers."

I leaned over and grabbed my ex-boss by his already crumpled jacket lapels and pulled his face close to mine.

"Well your intel's wrong pal. No way would he do that!"

"Maybe you're right," he replied quietly and frowned as he eyed my hands gripping his jacket.

"Maybe it isn't Sam at all; he could have been cloned."

As if that would be better, the moron. I released him and he tried to smooth away the additional wrinkles I'd caused to his jacket. He looked completely unperturbed.

"Either way," he continued, "he's under the same order as the others...to be shot on sight."

And then for one brief moment I thought he'd developed a crumb of compassion.

"Dean...you okay?"

Oh yeah, I was awesome. The idea of tracking my own brother down and retiring him filled me with all kinds of feelings. None of them good. But the idea of someone else getting the contract and doing it instead made me feel worse.

But that brief little interlude of caring was soon overridden by his need for a quick answer.

"For this kind of reward I can easily get someone else but they don't have your magic, and anyway, didn't think you'd want someone else taking Sam down."

I forced a laughed. "Yeah, you're all heart."

"So...last chance. You want it or not?" Bryant held his hand out for the pad but something inside of me just wouldn't let it go. I squeezed it so tight I thought it would crack.

"Yeah...I'll do it," I said with a heavy heart. "I'll do it."

Bryant nodded his acknowledgement and waved at his driver who'd leapt out of his seat to open the passenger door for him. Bryant made a dash through the rain. "Let me know when it's done," he shouted through the window and the Police spinner hovered for a moment before pulling up vertically from the street and was gone.

I felt empty and confused. I read through the data over and over before staring at Sam's face again. Just like old times, all the information for the job was on the pad, except this time I wasn't sure I was up to it.

"Lisa? Bring me another coffee," I called out. I had some serious thinking to do. "Any chance of getting an early break?" I added, as I was also in need of some serious comfort.

~~o~~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: **Dean finds Meg and a whole lot of trouble.

* * *

><p><strong>Tears in the Rain<strong>

**Chapter three**

Three cups of coffee and, as Lisa was busy there was no comfort later, I received an update.

It looked as if one of the security cameras had picked up something and Bryant had patched the info straight through to me.

_Meg spotted on 23__rd_ _Street._

Short and to the point, but better than nothing.

I caught Lisa's attention and gave her a quick wave and smile. "Nine," I mouthed silently, pointing to my watch.

If I survived that is.

I pulled my gun from its holster and checked for ammo. I loved this weapon...similar to my favorite antique Colt forty-five but upgraded to meet the Department's regs. It had all the latest high-tech add-ons, making it powerful and accurate, but still using projectile bullets. I'd need more than this though to take down these replicants as they were smart and strong, and when they were on the run, unpredictable and dangerous. Surprise was going to be my biggest advantage.

Stepping back outside, I didn't have the luxury to dodge the rain so I took the most direct line, and lengthening my stride, quickly fell into a jog. This particular street was a meeting place for all the flotsam and jetsam of the city, with underpasses and alleyways making it ideal for anyone wanting plenty of cover. If she wanted to run, and they usually did, there were plenty of places to hide.

I turned the corner after three blocks and there she was, buying noodles at a street seller, surrounded by chattering, hungry customers. What I was about to do I'd never done before, talk first and kill later, but I'd bet a weeks supply of coffee that she wouldn't see it that way. But if she knew something about Sam I wanted to know and intended to find out.

I slowed, un-holstered my gun, and a young woman let out a shriek. All heads turned, including Meg's.

"Meg...we need to talk," I shouted and, as a gesture of goodwill, flipped the gun barrel skywards while holding my other hand in a sign of surrender.

Her face remained calm but her eyes were screaming _survival_ as she pulled out a weapon and fired.

Shit! Looks as if she wasn't the talking kind and I ducked in time to feel the heat from the laser zip perilously close to my face. Screaming shoppers scattered giving me the perfect line of sight and I returned fire. I caught her squarely in the chest causing blood to splatter across a couple of passers-by, which in turn caused more screaming and chaos. Meg hardly flinched but staggered back a few feet under the force. Man, she looked pissed and glared at me briefly before she turned and ran. She was inhumanly fast and pushed her way through the line of terrified people before leaping over a shopping cart, leaving me to dodge the piles of vegetables scattered over the side-walk. I ran and ran until my lungs hurt and my legs burned, never letting her out of my sight until she turned into an alley and I stopped to catch my breath.

I knew this part of the city like the back of my hand and she'd entered a dead end with no exit. I had her cornered.

I turned into the alley, gun poised and ready.

Where the hell was she? Shit! The alley was deserted, apart from the usual bags of rubbish and the obligatory dead rat laying there, its yellow teeth mocking me with a disturbing silent snarl. I shuddered. I hated rats; dead or alive. Virtually all the animals on the planet had become extinct, but not these vermin. They were survivors all right and I suppose I should admire them but no, I really couldn't.

The first rule of hunting any kind of suspect was always, _don't get distracted_. It could be deadly. And tracking a killer replicant was deadlier than most.

In a flash, I felt the full force of her weight drop onto my back. Shit! She must have leapt up to one of the first floor ledges and lain in wait. Her strong legs wrapped around my waist as her hands gripped my neck. Desperately trying to shake her off, I staggered towards the nearest wall and hurled myself against it. At the last minute she dropped to the ground and I smacked into the brickwork, winding myself as my gun went flying.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" I doubled over as pain shot up my spine but looked up as a foot was about to make contact with my face and moved quickly to dodge it, only to be caught by a fist to my face. Meg hurled herself on top of me and I landed on my back with her punching me over and over as I twisted and turned trying to avoid the mad onslaught. I finally managed to land a couple of hard punches to the wound in her chest, which made her pause her for a moment but that only fuelled her rage. Her hands were now again at my throat.

My right hand clawed at the ground desperately trying to reach my gun. I touched it briefly, so tantalisingly close...just needed to stretch a bit more.

She squeezed harder but for all my twisting and turning I couldn't break her vice like grip. I didn't have a hope of loosening it before I lost consciousness. I was getting dizzy and I couldn't breathe. It was only a matter of time before she choked the life out of me.

But choking me wasn't enough. Meg pulled me up an inch before smacking my head back down in the dirt and I was now seeing stars, but that slight movement gave me the extra reach I needed to hook my fingers around the gun's grip, manoeuvre it into my palm and hold it tightly. I aimed at Meg's head. I fired over and over and over, and didn't stop until I felt her fingers slacking on my throat, enabling me to gasp some much needed air. Then I pushed her limp body off me.

I lay still for a moment appreciating the finer things of life, like breathing and the rain washing away the blood splatters and brain matter. I felt a bit queasy and gagged. I didn't think I'd ever get used to that in my face. I totally understood what Sam meant.

It was time to move out of the puddle of water which had formed under me and was chilling me to the bone, but as I lifted my head I saw a shadow out of the corner of my eye and jerked my head to look. Too late. There was a heavy boot bearing down on my face and my head hit the ground again with a smack - and everything went black.

~~o~~

I'd no idea how long I'd been out or even what time of day it was but I did remember my name so that was better than some mornings I'd experienced recently.

I opened my eyes a crack.

It was quiet and dark so maybe I was dead; even _my_ luck couldn't last forever. I shivered a little, but then a wave of pain hit me full force and my eyes shot open. Yeah, I was most definitely alive.

My eyes quickly adjusted. There were tiny pin pricks of light filtering through the old tattered curtains, just enough for me to make out my surroundings and aware I was laying on a bare mattress in my boxers. I forced myself to sit but my head felt as if it'd been hit by a space shuttle and the room started spinning. Someone had the decency to patch me up though, as there was a bandage expertly wrapped around my head and an ice pack taped against my battered chest. I groaned as I pulled off the ice pack and pressed it to my throbbing cheek and lips.

I heard footsteps and on the other side of the room a door opened, a hand flipped a nearby switch, and a soft light instantly filled the room. I squinted and watched the tall familiar shape of my brother walk towards me.

"Sam?" I was almost afraid to ask.

"Hey Dean," he replied, beaming a warm smile before sitting down beside me. He frowned as he inspected my bandaged head and battered torso.

I didn't know whether to hit him or hug him but didn't have to do either because Sam instantly was crushing me in one of his usual it's-great-to-see-you hugs. I could feel his heart pounding against my ribs and my arms instinctively mirrored his.

He pulled away as soon as I winced and gave me one of his earnest faces. "Sorry...you okay? Your ribs...I think they're just bruised but they could be cracked... I should really get you to a hospital...and your head... man, it was bloody when..."

I held up my hand to get him to stop talking, my head hurt and I couldn't take the babbling even though I was relieved to hear it. At least I knew he was Sam and not a replicant. They never babbled.

"You know you've got a lot of explaining to do," I said in a pissy tone. It was so good to see my prodigal brother but I wasn't about to let him off the hook.

"Yeah, I know," he replied and looked briefly away from my intense stare but was drawn back immediately to check my wounds, "but you sure you're okay? "

"Well, my head feels two sizes to big, my chest is on fire and the split on my lip stings like a bitch... but I'll live."

"You looked terrible when you were brought here. But I patched you up the best I could. I don't have any more pain killers but I'm sure..."

"Look Sam...you need to tell me everything," I interrupted, and was surprised how awake I suddenly felt. "You know there's a price on your head don't you?" I snipped, but before he could attempt an answer I heard more footsteps in the corridor, growing louder until they stopped at the door.

I visibly tensed and quirked a questioning eyebrow at Sam.

"It's okay..." he said. He seemed relaxed and confident so I relaxed - but didn't feel so confident.

The door opened and in walked a beautiful female carrying my clothes in a neat pile. Some of my questions were now being answered without a word being spoken. Can't say I blame you Sam, never seen an android like her before. Jessica was blond and smoking hot, and much more beautiful than her photo.

And following her was trouble. Castiel.

He was shorter than I'd envisioned but he walked with an air of authority and confidence and from what I'd seen of his kind, size really didn't matter. His steely eyes immediately focussed on mine as he strode over to me and looked me up and down. He gave a dismissive sniff.

"Hey...I'm not having a good day okay? Some moron kicked me in the head," I said defensively.

Castiel bristled with indignation. "I'm the moron who kicked you in the head."

Awkward. "Well aren't you the hero...hitting a man when he's down."

Castiel stepped in closer, his face inches from mine. "You would kill me and my kind without a second thought...so, what does that make you?"

That was a good question, and one I couldn't answer. He was smart and right, but all my instincts cried out to retire him.

I stared into his unblinking eyes, trying to make sense of him. "So why didn't you kill me?"

"Because Sam asked me not to."

Sam forced the barest of smiles at Castiel, then nudged Jessica and she stepped forward.

"You were soaking wet when you were brought back here. We dried your clothes...and don't worry, it's hanging up over there."

Sam jerked his head toward the corner of the room and following his line of sight I saw my leather jacket happily hanging on a hook in one piece.

I gave her a little smile of approval. "Thanks," I said and took my clothes. It was the most grateful I've ever been to get dressed, if I was going to get into a fight, I didn't want to be half naked. Cas backed off a couple of feet as I pulled on my clothes and sat down again to lace up my boots.

I decided ignoring him would be the wisest move for the time being and turned my attention to Jessica. She was much more agreeable.

"So, Jessica...Jess," I gave her one of my biggest smiles, "...how did you come to meet Sam?"

I didn't need to glance at Sam to see the miffed look he had on his face. Serves him right, I wasn't going to wait for him to spill the information.

"He saved my life...that's why," Jess said, giving Sam a look that was sickeningly like adoration.

Sam looked more than a bit awkward, running his hand through his hair and staring at his feet as if I'd discovered him watching porn. That caused more than a bit of interest from Jess...she studied him intently, and moved in close to him, entwining her arm in his.

"There were these three guys looking for fun...and decided they would find it with me. I guess because I'm not human, I don't matter."

"I'm surprised you didn't kick their asses from here to Mars. You being.." I caught Sam's disapproving frown, "...er..strong and...well trained."

"Three on one isn't great odds especially when they had weapons and I didn't." She gave Sam a little smile. "Sam came to my rescue and well...two against three is much better odds. Together, we kicked their asses."

Well that I approved of and totally understood, and hopefully the look on my face told her so. I then looked pointedly at Sam with the expectation of hearing more from him. Much more. Like, what the hell was he doing joining a band of rebel replicants...even if one of them was blond and hot?

Sam glanced over at Castiel. "Cas, I need to have some time with my brother, if you don't mind."

"I've seen all I need to," he said giving me a look that shouted _Blade Runner, _"and I have things to arrange."

Jess had already cottoned on and, after giving Sam's arm a little squeeze, was following Castiel out of the door.

~~o~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary: **Castiel makes a deadly decision which changes all their plans.

* * *

><p><strong>Tears in the Rain<strong>

**Chapter four**

"I can see the attraction Sam, I really can...but what the hell? And the killing?" I asked Sam as soon as we were alone.

His eyes widened."What? No! What makes you say that, there's no killing...things got a bit rough with those guys with Jess, but..."

"I don't mean those scum bags, they deserve all they got...no, the people on the shuttle, the ones you killed when you hijacked the shuttle to get to Earth."

Sam's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't know what you've been told but that's not true, no way. We stole the shuttle that's true, but no one got hurt. I wouldn't. "

I could always tell if he was lying. All those little tell tale signs; a scratch of his head, a little eye twitch, a lick of his lips. But all I was getting was an innocent puppy eyed look and that meant one thing.

Bryant lied to me or someone lied to him. Either way someone was keen to get them all eliminated. Get rid of any potentially embarrassing publicity. Tie up all the loose ends.

"Okay, say I believe you...that still doesn't explain what you're doing."

Sam took a deep breath. "Look, I know you're pissed with me Dean but when I left you three months ago I needed to get my head together, so I hitched a ride to Gilese.

"Where Mom and Dad died?"

"Yeah...I've always wanted to go...to see where they...you know."

I knew. I'd thought about going a thousand times myself.

Sam sat down beside me, ran his hand through his hair again, looking tense and drawn.

"I guessed there would replicant slave labour still there and was really curious to see them. The only time we ever saw them here was when we were killing them. Anyway, like Jess said, I was there when she was attacked...and then afterwards she took me to meet the others and one thing lead to another. They need someone to speak for them Dean... tell the world that they're treated live slaves."

"And that has to be you does it?"

"Why not? It has to be someone, and I know how the legal system works."

I nodded. Just like him to pick up the waifs and strays.

"And I like Jess a lot," Sam said quietly.

"I noticed."

"Not like that."

My eyes widened. "Oh really?"

"Well, not _totally_ like that, she's so much potential, could be so much more than, than...what she's been designed for. Anyway...they're developing all these feelings and have no idea how to handle them."

"Yeah," I rubbed my head and felt the huge throbbing lump through the bandage, "and some need to learn how to control their anger."

Sam looked troubled. "Right from the outset Meg was bad news...trained as a killer and then all those new emotions bubbling under the surface...a bad combination."

"So why come here to Earth, with a guaranteed death sentence. I know they're not stupid."

"Well that's the thing, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't"

"Okay, now you've totally lost me."

"Cas told me their designers were worried they were going to be to hard to control if they started to develop feelings, so they built in an expiration date as a safe guard. And time is now running out. So he wants to see Tyrell."

"He's their designer?"

"Yeah. If anyone has the answer, it'll be him."

"Castiel will need good luck with that Sammy...he's a hard man to get to see."

"Well, he's very resourceful."

"And what then? If Tyrell works some kind of miracle, I can't believe the bounty on their heads, and yours by the way, is going to do a Houdini. You'll still be a target."

Sam shrugged. "Maybe. So I'll fight it then...in the courts...in the streets if I have to. I'll find a way."

It all sounded idealistic and cosy but what worried me was Castiel. I couldn't imagine him settling for some kind of apple pie life and fading quietly into the background, he'd been designed to take command in combat and war. He'd take careful handling.

~~o~~

After an hour of us going over and over the same old ground, Jess brought us some coffee. I took a sip. I really was desperate for it but it was the horrible synthetic stuff that most of the population had to drink. I really could do with the real thing right now, to help me think of a plan to keep Bryant of our backs. For that, we needed to get everyone together and thrash it out.

"Where's Castiel?" I asked Jess, "we need to talk."

"Oh..he's gone to see Tyrell," she said matter of factly.

"What?" Sam looked horrified. "We were going to go together. I thought I'd keep him from doing something stupid."

"Cas said he had to see Tyrell alone." Jess was now looking unsettled and unsure.

I shivered and this time it wasn't the cold. Maybe I didn't know much about these new Nexus Six replicants but I knew that look in Castiel's eyes, as a cop I'd seen it all before, he wasn't going to take no for an answer and that meant trouble for us all.

"I'll go after him...the building's not far. Maybe I can get to him first," Sam was eager and gave me a frown as I started to make a move, "and you need to rest."

Yeah in an ideal world I would have but that wasn't going to happen. As I started to haul myself off the bed, my phone vibrated in my pocket. When I answered it, I was surprised to see my ex-boss's face looking at me. I moved quickly away from Sam and Jess as I didn't want Bryant to get any hint of who I was with.

"Dean."

"Bryant."

"I'll give it to you straight...the shit's really hit the fan now." Bryant sounded really agitated.

"Why?"

"Looks like someone's murdered Tyrell. Nasty it was, slit his throat and ripped him apart. My money's on Castiel...or maybe it's that brother of yours."

Crap. I guessed Bryant didn't know diddley squat but was fishing for anything he could get. I needed to stall him. "Give me a chance, I'm still following up on that lead."

"Well, time's running out. The Department and Corporation are all doing their nut. They want blood...and it sure ain't going to be mine. You've got twenty-four hours."

Then the screen went blank.

I took a deep breath, and still had the need for more oxygen. The guy sure did suck the air from the room even though he was the other side of the city.

"Dean, what's up? Looks like you've seen a ghost," Sam said, watching me closely.

"You know you said you didn't want Castiel doing something stupid?"

Sam closed his eyes and breathed out a quiet groan.

"Tyrell's dead," I said and watched Sam change from worried to anguished, now turning decidedly pale himself.

Jess looked puzzled. "Why would he do that?"

"I don't know Jess...I really don't," Sam replied, his face now getting flushed with a rising anger.

"There's no chance now... no chance." Bitterness was now creeping into Jess's voice and I found myself agreeing with her. Whatever plans they had, or Sam had for them, were now as dead as Castiel's victim. Soon the city would be crawling with every cop and bounty hunter the Department could find; with every airport and shuttle station in lock-down."

I didn't have to time to consider the bigger picture any more, I needed to get Sam out and away from here fast.

Sam didn't need to read my thoughts, he knew the score and turned to Jess. "Get our things...we're leaving."

She nodded and ran out without saying a word.

Sam took in an audible breath before straightening himself to his full height and looked down at me. "I know what you're thinking Dean...but she's coming."

I wasn't exactly delighted with the prospect of having a replicant in tow but then again, now wasn't the time to argue. I sighed, of all the women in the Universe, Sam had to go and fall for one that wasn't human.

~~o~~

While Sam and Jess collected their belongings, I ran a quick check on what Bryant had told me and when I was satisfied he wasn't lying his ass off, I also phoned a few of my contacts I could trust. I was owed a few favours here and there and now seemed the right time to call them in.

I grabbed my jacket and gave it a quick once over, no tears, no holes...I was impressed. Then there were voices in the corridor getting louder and louder.

"How can you possibly understand, you have your whole life a head of you," Castiel's voice boomed out.

"Well because of you, probably not - what the hell were you thinking?" Sam was sounding really agitated.

"I asked my maker for more life. Do you know what he said? My life maybe short but it burns all the more brighter...and I should be proud."

And then they burst through the door. Castiel looked extremely calm considering he was covered in blood, while Sam was doing his utmost to understand what the fuck was going on, with Jess trailing behind with a very subdued look on her face.

"Look, I'm sorry he couldn't help you," Sam said, his voice straining to be civil, "maybe you could have tried someone else."

"Not as sorry as me and no, there _is_ no one else."

"But you've gone too far."

Castiel stopped walking and turned to face Sam. "He looked so smug...he didn't deserve to live."

I was glad that Sam had left my gun in my pocket because Castiel turned his attention to me and gave me a bone chilling stare. I returned it. I didn't need my spidey senses to tell me that things were about to get ugly.

"Killing Tyrell was a stupid dumb-ass move," I said, more out of exasperation than anything else.

Castiel's eyes narrowed as he moved towards me. "I don't have to answer to you boy."

"Okay...fine," I replied, continuing the eye-balling, "just this once I'm going to forget I've seen you. We're out of here."

"Suits me fine...but Jess stays. She's my family...all I have left."

"No...she gets to choose." Sam immediately stepped beside Jess.

"You have your brother ...she stays with me."

Jess looked angry, first looking up at Sam then back at Castiel.

"It's okay Jess...no one's going to make you do anything you don't want...it's up to you." Sam wrapped his arm around her, his eyes still fixed firmly on Castiel.

I couldn't imagine this replicant leader being intimidated by anything, so a black look wasn't going to cut it, even if it was the best one I'd ever seen my brother give anyone...including me. I didn't have to wait long for the fall out.

Sam pushed Castiel squarely in the chest as he made a lunge for Jess. He reacted with a punch to Sam's face and then produced a bloody blade and tried to slash it across Sam's throat. It all happened so fast but my brother blocked it with a swift swipe of his arm and the blade sliced into his flesh. Blood poured from the gaping wound and Jess hurled herself on top of Castiel in a blind rage, knocking the knife from his grasp.

"Sam," I yelled, "down."

Castiel was already in my sights and as soon as I saw my brother yank Jess away from Castiel, I fired. How on earth he manoeuvred himself out of the way in time, I'll never know...and the bullet buried itself into the wall. I fired again, twice, this time hitting him in the shoulder and again in the leg. He didn't even flinch but turned to give me a little smirk before running from the room.

Sam looked at me with pleading eyes. "Let me go after him...talk to him," he said, flinching as Jess started to inspect his bloody arm.

"You're kidding, the guy's a walking time bomb and the time for talking went south when he decided to gut Tyrell."

Sam's jaw clenched, and gave me a knowing nod as he glanced down at Jess keeping up the pressure on his oozing wound.

It irked me having to leave Sam injured and bleeding but Castiel was like a wounded animal, with feelings he didn't understand, and now had nothing to lose. I had to find him before he killed anyone else.

The rush of adrenaline was giving me a boost and I hardly felt my own injuries as I ran from the room. The building looked like one of the many hundreds of abandoned apartment blocks in the city, old and dilapidated in parts, making it difficult to keep my balance on the uneven floor. So I stumbled my way down the stairs, through the first open door, into an empty room and leaned against the wall, listening for movement.

"Oh come on Dean, you're armed and I'm not. Let's play," Cas shouted through the wall.

I checked my gun and took a deep breath and then another, as I steeled myself for a confrontation.

And then a loud bang made me jump. A fist punched through the wall snatching my hand and pulling it through the gaping hole until my shoulder was pressed up hard against the crumbling plaster. My wrist was held in an iron like grip, my fingers being uncurled from my tense fist.

"This is for Meg," he said, continuing to bend my finger until it cracked.

"Son-of-a-bitch," I screamed as a fiery pain shot through my hand and up my arm.

"And this is for taking Jess from me." Another finger snapped and I bit my already swollen lip trying not to scream again. I waited for more pain but then my arm went slack as I was no longer being held. I quickly pulled it back through the hole and slumped against the wall, letting the burning pain in my shoulder socket and hand subside a little. I glanced at my broken fingers, they were bruised and swollen and sticking out at an angle no fingers had a right to stick out at. They hurt like a bitch but would have to wait for a bit of attention. I had one good hand and gripped my weapon tighter.

"Come on Dean...come and get me," Cas taunted, his voice loud and clear indicating he was very close.

I looked up and he was standing in the doorway. He slowly walked towards me not caring that my gun was raised. He smirked as I squeezed the trigger. I hit him once, twice, three times in the chest and he kept coming. I aimed for his head but he was on top of me in a flash, and then with one smooth swipe my gun flew across the floor and I was hurled onto the ground to join it.

"You're a good shot Dean...but it'll take more than that to finish me off," Cas said before he turned and ran.

I grabbed my gun and stumbled after him again. I saw an open window. Shit! I looked out carefully and saw a flash of him as he disappeared across the flat roof.

I climbed out on the window ledge and shuffled carefully along it. Don't look down...don't look down. I hated heights. I looked down. Fuck, it was one hell of a long drop to the side-walk below, and I felt beads of sweat trickle down my back.

A few more steps and I was off the ledge and running to the edge of the roof. It wasn't a long way across to the other side was it? I was sure I could make it. Screw it. I was about to find out. I launched myself across the gap and my feet landed squarely on the edge and I waved my arms frantically to try and keep my balance. Nearly. Almost. I found myself falling, and managed to grab a metal rafter that had been left exposed. As my good hand clung to it, Castiel leaned over and his eyes bore into mine.

"How does it feel to be afraid?" he asked as I looked desperately up to him.

I gasped and spluttered as my numb fingers were starting to lose their grip. I wasn't sure what I felt but it wasn't sunshine and roses.

"That's how it feels to be a slave," he replied, his voice no longer filled with rage; he looked distant and subdued.

Maybe he felt victorious now he'd beaten me, maybe he just didn't care any more. I'd no idea. If my life was about to pass before me I thought it would start about now, but all I could think of was Sam. I wished he'd find the life he wanted; hoped he'd be happy. That was it.

I no longer felt anything else so closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable fall to oblivion.

As soon as my fingers slipped from the metal bar, a hand grasped my wrist and I hung there with Cas literally holding my life in his hands. I was sure he was going to play with me for as long as it pleased him, but instead I was lifted in one long continuous pull and dropped onto the roof at his feet. I lay there cold, wet and exhausted, expecting something nasty, but instead he sat down cross legged in front of me looking almost peaceful, thoughtful even.

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe: attack-ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion: c-beams glitter in the darkness at Tan Hauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time...like tears in the rain. It's time to die."

I could only sit and watch. He didn't move, just sat there staring at me, motionless as if a switch had been flipped. I don't know why he saved me, maybe he started to value life, any life, my life.

I was grateful he had and sat there in the rain for a while, until I found the will to move. I forced myself to my feet and slowly limped to the nearest fire escape ladder, and then began my descent. It was slow and excruciating but I eventually found myself on ground level and then had another long walk to find Sam.

~~o~~

He was where I'd left him earlier but now laying on the bed beside Jess, little quiet sobs disturbing an otherwise peaceful scene, his face wet with tears. Jess's switch had been flipped probably the same time as Castiel's and now looked as if she was sleeping peacefully. It didn't seem possible she was only four years old and had only just begun to have some kind of meaningful existence. What a fucked up world we lived in.

I began to understand what Sam had been trying to do and rested my hand on his shoulder.

"You gave her something important Sam...you cared about her...wanted something better for her." I was crap at all this stuff but I needed to say it. "I'm sure she was better for knowing you."

Sam nodded and wiped his eyes as my own started to well up in sympathy. We needed to get out of there...not just because I didn't want to break down like a big girl, but there was still a bounty on Sam's head and I wasn't sure how much pleading with Bryant would call it off.

I would have to call him sometime, but I'd rather be a long, long way from here when I did.

Sam sighed and gave Jessica one last kiss on her cheek. He looked totally dejected as he swivelled himself into a hunched sitting position but perked up as his eyes dropped down to my battered hand. I attempted to hide it behind my back but wasn't quick enough.

"Hey...what the hell? ...let me look."

I rolled my eyes and held out my hand...very slowly.

"Dude...you can't leave them like that."

Yeah, I knew. I also knew what was coming. I turned my head and shut my eyes as my brother did what he had to do. I held my breath as Sam snapped my fingers back to how nature intended.

"Aargh." Fuck! That hurt like a bitch and I sat before I fell on my ass. Sam tore a piece of cloth from one of his t-shirts, the same one that had been used for his own makeshift bandage on his arm, and I watched him bind the black and blue swollen fingers together.

I began to shake, maybe it was from the pain or maybe because I was soaked to the skin, either way I was glad to have Sam wrap a blanket around me.

Sam slung his bag over his shoulder and stood close to me in case I needed him for support. I did, and held on to him the best I could as we made our way to the door.

"Where to?" Sam asked as he slid his arm under my shoulder to stop me from falling.

"Out the back...I have a plan," I managed to mutter before passing out.

~~o~~


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary: **Now on the run, they seek help from one of John's old friends.

* * *

><p><strong>Tears in the Rain<strong>

**Chapter five**

An unmarked police car dropped us off at the crossroads, a good six hour drive from LA and slap bang in the middle of nowhere. I'd contacted Carmen one of my oldest friends I'd had a bit of fling with when first joining the Force and I trusted her. She acquired a vehicle from the motor pool and quickly picked us up from the back of the apartment block, and not a moment to soon because the place was crawling with cops, Feds - and a very pissed off Bryant.

On the journey I'd phoned Bryant and offered him the reward money if he'd call off the dogs. Five hundred thousand dollars would easily buy a ticket to a pretty good life on a new planet somewhere far, far away but I wasn't about to hang around to see if he took up the offer. With someone like him you could never tell which way he'd go.

I'd also phoned Lisa. I had a date to cancel and a goodbye to make but I couldn't tell her what I was doing for her own safety, and ours, and the look on her face said it all. I was just another no good loser and wasn't worth a shit. I felt pretty low. I'd miss her, and her coffee, maybe one day I could make it up to her.

We continued to walk, well Sam walked as I hobbled, doing my best to keep up with his long strides but every now and again, I lurched and wobbled and he grabbed my arm to prevent the ground coming up to kiss my face.

"Carmen was nice. I didn't realise you were that close to her?" Sam asked as we trudged along.

"I don't tell you everything about my love life."

"I thought you had a thing for Cassie and Anna. Come to think of it...are there any females at the Precinct you haven't slept with?"

Enough with the difficult questions Sammy, as I had to think long and hard. "Er...well there's Amy in weapons acquisitions. Oh wait, no..there was that drunken birthday party."

"Oh come on...she's a lesbian."

"And...your point? Just face it Sammy...I'm irresistible!"

Sam snorted and followed it with a punch to my arm. Now every part of my body hurt.

A few minutes later brought us to a rambling old house slap bang in the middle of a yard full of junk. I knocked on the old battered door.

It opened slowly and we were met with a gun waving in our faces. I knew the stocky guy who was holding it, and he definitely knew how to use it, so we stood there in complete silence, hardly moving a muscle, waiting for his next move.

He looked me up and down with his gaze resting on my head. I must have looked a sight. I had a grubby bandage wrapped around my head, which was coming unravelled, my face battered and bloody, my broken hand now in a make shift sling. Sam looked positively radiant with only one black eye, a bruised cheek and a torn blood-stained shirt.

"Dean...Sam? What're you boys doing here?" he eventually said, satisfied that we didn't pose a significant threat.

"We need your help Bobby," I replied, trying to smile but I imagined it looked pretty crooked.

We'd only met the guy a few times before, when we were kids and the last time at Dad and Mom's funeral, but he felt like family and I hoped he felt the same.

"Hmm...looks like you do. Well, you'd better come in then, _mi casa es su casa_. If I knew you were coming, I'd have baked a cake."

"Really?" we both piped up in unison.

"No...idjits," Bobby muttered under his breath.

Sam and I exchanged disappointed glances as we stepped over the threshold.

~~o~~

Considering Bobby lived like a hermit, he was a pretty good cook. In fact he was better than good and after a week of his cooking and plenty of sleep I was feeling more like my old self, and so was Sam. I asked what we could do to repay him.

"Well, one day you can invite me to your new place."

"Sure..if we knew where that was going to be..." I was a bit confused.

Bobby handed me a photograph and then another to Sam.

"I've been in touch with a friend of mine, she's got a place you can stay while you get yourselves sorted."

The place looked awesome... a rambling farmhouse with actual trees and grass that weren't brown and dying.

"For real?" Sam looked stunned.

"Yep."

"So where is it?"

"Canada...somewhere that's been virtually deserted for years but has a few pockets of decent communities."

"I remember hearing that they still have a few wild bears up there and other animals." Sam was sounding enthusiastic.

"Apparently...if you like that sort of thing."

Sam grinned. Apparently he did.

"So, not America then?" I asked, already feeling a bit homesick.

"Nope...but it'll give you some protection from the bounty hunters up there. Not guaranteed...you know how those jerks work." Bobby shot me a look. "Present company excepted."

I smirked. Yeah, maybe we'd been jerks, but that gave us an advantage. At least we knew how they thought and operated.

~~o~~

Bobby seemed to have an endless supply of beer and most evenings we talked into the small hours about him and Dad when they were young and how he never wanted to go to the city and how they had drifted apart when Dad became a cop.

Bobby was into salvage, some called it junk, others a right little goldmine, making use of anything and everything.

He did have a love of old vehicles though and lovingly restored them, selling them to anyone who appreciated the classics, which was mostly the rich but now and again he did it just for the love of it.

And he'd been restoring one for Dad...one that had been in the Winchester family for generations. It was a total wreck when he acquired it and now seemed eager for Sam and me to take a look at it. I really thought I was going to have to feign interest and make all the right noises to be polite.

"This is what I was going to give your Dad when he retired," Bobby said as we stood in his workshop beside a tarpaulin which was covering the mystery object.

He yanked it and it fell smoothly to the ground revealing the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I gasped and slowly walked up to it, admiring every line and curve, and closing my eyes ran my hand over the glossy black paintwork. If it were a woman I'd marry her.

"You approve then?" Bobby said, amused at my stunned expression. "She's a 1967 Impala...a work of art if ever there was one. Internal combustion..."

"Engine," I interrupted. "Yeah Dad use to wax lyrical about these cars...told me all about how it was his ambition to own one. Hell, Bobby, you're a genius."

"Well it's all yours...and Sam's..." he said, dangling the car's ignition key in his outstretched hand, "..if you're interested, that is."

_Interested?_ I snatched it and savoured the moment before walking around the vehicle, opening the drivers door and sinking my ass into the leather seat.

Bobby looked over at Sam standing there all wide eyed with his mouth hanging open.

"It's okay Sam..I'm sure he'll let you drive some times," Bobby commiserated.

_When hell freezes over maybe._

~~o~~

Bobby had given me a quick run down of the car's quirky little ways which added to Dad's little lectures about the combustion engine. No one hardly used such vehicles any more, it was all electric and hydrogen these days, as the fuel was a bitch to find, so it was a dream come true to drive such an awesome car.

Like all his restorations he'd adapted the engines so that they could take all kinds of fuel. So hopefully we'd be able to refuel with pretty much anything we found on our long trip.

We travelled miles and miles in silence, settling into an almost trance like state, in our own thoughts and memories, trying to make sense of what was going to be our future.

The towering apartment blocks became less and less, more spread out until there were none. We saw the odd tumble-down farmhouse here and there, all abandoned years ago as the land became infertile and unusable, followed by vast swathes of scrub-land as far as the eye could see.

I glanced over at Sam. He'd one hand behind his head, legs stretched out as far as the small confines of the car would let him, and was reading some ancient looking book that Bobby had given him.

He glanced up for a moment. "Do you know what Dad did before he joined the Police Department?"

"He did something else? I thought he was born with a badge pinned to his chest."

Sam laughed. "Nope."

"Go on...surprise me Sherlock!"

"He hunted things that go bump in the night."

"Huh?...who does that?"

"Well him apparently." Sam waved the book. "It's all here in his journal. Accounts of helping people who were possessed or haunted...and other kinds of weird-assed shit."

"Whoa...wonder why he stopped?"

"Don't know. I'll let you know when I'm finished." Sam grinned. "It'll take a while."

I didn't think I could be surprised at anything any more and rummaged through my memories, but found nothing to suggest Dad was into anything other than catching bad guys. Who knew?

As if on cue the rain stopped and a tiny sliver of sun peeked through a black cloudy sky.

"Hey look Sammy...see that? Angels must be watching over us...things are looking up."

"And...all those colors," Sam said in awe, his nose now pressed up against the wind shield.

"I don't believe it...a rainbow...that's a fucking rainbow." I watched the colorful arc increase in intensity. I hadn't seen one of those since I was a kid, and came over all nostalgic thinking of Mom rushing outside with Sam in her arms and me running behind her in a whirl of excitement.

"Maybe it's a sign," Sam said as he continued to stare at it.

"Yeah and maybe they'll be a pot of gold at the end of it as well."

"Well you can do the digging."

"And then I get to keep all the treasure."

Sam pulled a face. "Pfft...okay then, I'll do half."

We travelled in silence again, Sam still reading and me sinking back into my thoughts, mesmerised by the rainbow and the clearing sky.

I'd always toyed with the idea of being rich. What would I want? Nearly everyone I knew would buy themselves a one-way ticket to one of the new colonies but now it didn't hold much appeal.

I was sure Sam didn't want that either. "What'll you buy when we find all this gold?" I eventually asked him.

"If I can find one, I'll buy a puppy," Sam replied and grinned, "maybe two, and take them for long walks."

Yeah that I could see. Another childhood memory popped into my head, a four year old Sammy begging Mom for a pet because he'd seen a picture in a book. He wanted a dog and cried for weeks when he was told he couldn't have one. Mom didn't have the heart to tell him that most had become extinct.

"So...what do _you_ want?" Sam looked at me all wide eyed and curious.

The rumble of tyres on the road and the comforting purr of the engine, and Sam alive and sitting beside me, gave me everything I wanted. There was no need for gold. I glanced over at my brother and smirked.

"What I want is some music. Take a look in the glove compartment."

Sam looked puzzled, so I waved my hand around in the general direction of his side of the car.

"Straight in front of you...look...that little compartment."

Sam pressed a button, a flap dropped down and cassette tapes cascaded onto Sam's outstretched legs.

"What the...?"

"Bobby picked up some of those retro music tapes...you know...to go with the car...70s rock."

"70s? What 2070?...that's positively ancient!"

"Didn't you learn anything at College? _Nineteen_ _70s_."

Sam wrinkled his nose. "Sounds crap...retro turned crusty."

"Go on...pick one...and stick it in that slot...carefully. They're not like the electronic crap we have now...they need extreme love and care."

Sam inspected one of them and carefully pushed it into player and the cassette clicked into place. Our ears were immediately blasted with a sound we didn't normally hear and my hands began tapping the four beat rhythm as hard as they could on the steering wheel.

_Back in black  
>I hit the sack<br>I've been too long I'm glad to be back_

Sam began muttering as he slid lower into his seat, trying his best to escape. "What?" I shouted over the music, "it's awesome!" So awesome, I turned the volume up and pulled my shades from my top pocket, Bobby said they were essential, and turned and gave Sam one of my biggest grins.

_I got nine lives  
>Cat's eyes<br>Usin' every one of them and running wild_

"Don't worry Sammy...there's more where that came from."

Sam groaned, scrunched his face, and closed his eyes. His face was a picture...this was so much better than kicking his ass.

The End

~~o~~


End file.
